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The General
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The General (1926) More at IMDbPro »

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The General (1926) -- When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single handedly and straight through enemy lines.
The General (1926) -- When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single handedly and straight through enemy lines.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Buster Keaton (written by) and
Clyde Bruckman (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The General on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1927 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Romance | War | Action more
Tagline:
Love, Locomotives and Laughs
Plot:
When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single handedly and straight through enemy lines. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
An instant favorite more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Marion Mack ... Annabelle Lee
Glen Cavender ... Captain Anderson
Jim Farley ... General Thatcher
Frederick Vroom ... A Southern General
Charles Henry Smith ... Annabelle's Father (as Charles Smith)
Frank Barnes ... Annabelle's Brother
Joe Keaton ... Union General
Mike Donlin ... Union General
Tom Nawn ... Union General

Buster Keaton ... Johnny Gray
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Additional Details

Runtime:
Australia:107 min | Spain:80 min (1982 version) | Spain:83 min (1962 version) | USA:75 min (2003 alternate version)
Country:
USA
Color:
Black and White (Sepiatone)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Silent
Certification:
Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | UK:U | South Korea:All (2002) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:G | Norway:7 (original rating) | Norway:A (re-rating) (2004) | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | Sweden:Btl | USA:Unrated | West Germany:6 | Finland:S
Filming Locations:
Cottage Grove, Oregon, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Buster Keaton wanted to use the real locomotive "The General" in the movie which was at the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot in Chattanooga, Tennessee (it's in Kennesaw, Georgia now), but was unable to, and had to dress up another 4-4-0 locomotive instead. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the General is first stolen, Johnny is washing his hands; when he sees the train pulling away, he walks away from the sink with his hands covered in soap, but in the following reverse shot where he tells the passengers what has happened, his hands are clean. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Annabelle's brother: Fort Sumter has been fired upon.
Mr. Lee: Then the war is here.
Annabelle's brother: Yes, dad, and I'm going to be one of the first to enlist.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004) (TV) more

FAQ

How much did the train crash cost?
Why don't they make movies like this any more?
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful:-
An instant favorite, 27 January 2008
10/10
Author: vovazhd from United States

I haven't had so much fun watching a movie for a long time. The General is a silent comedy (mostly slapstick) about Johnny Gray, a train engineer with two loves: his engine and Annabelle Lee. Annabelle soon dumps him because of his failure to enlist into the Civil War (they would not take him because he was too valuable as an engineer). Things are then sped up a year, where we see some Union commanders planning to hijack a train to unleash a highly sophisticated master plan. As it so happens, they steal Johnny's engine, a big mistake.

Buster Keaton does a phenomenal performance as Johnny. His face and character is ideal for this type of comedy. He reminds me a lot of Leslie Nielsen from the Naked Gun movies (but, of course, less old). He is often ignorant of what is going on around him, leading to plenty of laughs. This also makes him a very charismatic character.

There are countless train related jokes. The first one comes right at the beginning, when we see Johnny being followed by two kids and a woman, in a line much like a train. The bulk of the movie is made up of Johnny running a train, either chasing or fleeing from the Union soldiers. The movement and maneuvering of the trains is beautiful. The stunt work is an incredible accomplishment. The finale is explosive.

The General was a lot of fun to watch. It gave me more laughs than most modern comedies, and had plenty of substance on top of that. This is enough for me to label it as one of the greatest comedies ever. After my first viewing, it instantly became one of my favorites. It is timeless gem that should be watched at least once by anyone interested in movies.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Your Top ten favorite silent films Brawlski
Did Lean get the idea for ending of 'Kwai' from ending of General baileysbox
Keaton riding on the train wheels movieman1040
Based on True story !? =S TheEnigmaticRonin
A little anal perhaps godels_sprog
Best version on DVD? haciendacaliente
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